For Those Sleepless Nights

Most nights I get to sleep just fine, but then I wake up in the middle of the night and my mind starts reeling with ideas or other thoughts. I often have to get up and write down what I'm thinking otherwise I won't be able to clear my mind to go back to sleep. This happens more and more the older I get, I'm guessing as my responsibilities get bigger.

So, I have a tip for you on those sleepless nights. Once you write out your notes to clear your mind as best you can, then try to sleep again and this time "choose" the image that you're going to meditate on. For me, one thought leads to another...and then I'm off thinking again. So, a high school friend told me once to think about the color black. Sometimes I even imagine a black crayon drawing black on the wall of my mind. Yeah, it's weird, but don't knock it til you try it. I don't know why that does it for me, but sleep comes shortly after...

What do you do to help you sleep when you can't...besides taking pills? :)